This disclosure relates to a grinding apparatus for grinding material, such as coffee beans.
Grinding apparatuses are well-known in the art. Machines have been developed to convert roasted coffee beans into a ground substance suitable for brewing. Additionally, differing tastes in coffee have fostered the need to have differing grinds. For example, if one desires an espresso type of coffee, a fine grind of coffee may be needed for the espresso brewing process. However, some may desire the taste of freshly-ground coffee, but desire the flavors associated with a drip brewing process. A more coarse grind may suit this coffee drinker. Consequently, the prior art developed apparatuses that were adjustable and could provide differing grinds of coffee.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,474 to Midden shows a coffee grinder which enables one to select a desired grind of coffee. Midden teaches that unground coffee beans may be fed between two grinding elements commonly referred to as grinding burrs in order to produce a desired grind. The grinding elements were of differing shapes and sizes, and had differing surface configurations in order to alter the type of grind. Therefore, in order to obtain differing grinds, one had to change the grinding elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,283 to Fisher et al. shows a grinder having the ability to provide differing levels of grind. Using the Fisher apparatus, one could selectively adjust the space between spaced apart grinding elements in order to adjust the grind of coffee. The Fisher apparatus utilized a pair of grinding burrs, one of which rotated and the other of which was substantially stationary. However, the Fisher et al. apparatus biased the two grinding elements toward one another, which allowed the gap to expand or contract during the grinding process; therefore, the gap could vary, resulting in a potentially uneven grind over time.